1. Subtitle Education Lynsey Burridge Virtual Head Teacher for Children in Care 1

2. Subtitle 2 Like a foreign language… RPAEYFS KS1 KS4 KS3 PEP EHC PA KS2 IEP PSP IBP SENCO SALT EP SEN DT VSH

3. Subtitle 3 Attainment of children in care – 2013 Children in Care National All Children GCSE 5 A*-C including English/Maths 15%59% KS2 Reading 4+63%86% KS2 Writing 4+55%83% KS2 Maths 4+59%85%

4. Subtitle The Social exclusion Unit has identified five key reasons why children in care underachieve in Education: 1.Too many young people's lives are characterised by instability 2.Young people in care spend too much time out of school 3.Children do not have sufficient help with their education if they get behind 4.Carers are not expected, or equipped, to provide sufficient support and encouragement at home for learning and development 5.Children in care need more help with their emotional, mental or physical health and wellbeing 4 Barriers to achievement

5. Subtitle 5 Being an Effective Foster Carer: Helping to Understand Education and Training from 0 to 25, an Aide Memoire Understanding the CHILD/YOUNG PERSON  Child development - how a child’s brain develops and how they learn  Barriers to learning – what are they? How are they overcome?  The importance of listening to the child or young person when they talk about their education  Being involved in the care planning process  How to contribute to the child’s Personal Education Plan  Encouraging positive behaviours that will help a child access learning  Bullying: what to look out for  Tips to support reading/writing/maths  The importance of placement stability, particularly for young people on courses  The impact of transitions in the life of a child in care including the transition between school phases  The continuing importance of resilience and motivation  The importance of pathway planning  Supporting aspirations post-16 Understanding the SYSTEM  Overview of legislation on education, the education system and the importance of education in how it affects looked after children  How does the law define “Parental Responsibility”?  How to access education: Admissions in early years; the compulsory phase; post-16  School exclusion what the law says and what you need to do  Why education and learning is integral to the care planning cycle through which Personal Education Plans and Pathway Plans are developed  What are the choices post-16: education and employment and how to help young people make Key Stage 4 choices which ensure appropriate future progression  How the welfare reforms relate to education for care leavers aged 18+  Sources of funding post-16: The 16-19 Bursary and the HE Bursary  What are the other choices post 16 – non-educational apprenticeships  What is a multi-agency intervention?  Staying Put and Personal Advisers to 25 Understanding the SETTING  The phases of education: pre-school; primary; secondary; post-16 – what the “key stages” mean  What the education system does: the National Curriculum  What types of school are there? Academies, community schools and special schools  Choosing a school: understanding school performance  Working effectively with schools/education professionals, including designated teachers and understanding their roles and responsibilities  How the role of Virtual School Head/CAMHS/adult mental health services can support the child/care leaver  When more support is needed: knowing the SEN framework and the Learning Disability Assessment process  Engaging with education settings to support positive behaviour strategies including good attendance  Alternatives to mainstream settings  Designated support staff in FE settings Understanding YOURSELF  The importance of carer involvement in the educational experience of looked after children  Knowing your delegated responsibilities  Building carer confidence in engaging with schools/education settings  Creating a positive home environment that is conducive to learning  Understanding the technology – the importance of ICT  How to be a reflective listener/learner/practitioner as a foster carer  Tips and techniques to support homework and course work  How your own learning style affects how you interact with the children you care for  How to be a good advocate

6. Subtitle The Virtual School Head role was successfully piloted by eleven authorities for two years between 2007 and 2009. The evaluation of the pilots found that the virtual school Head role can make a real difference. The post of Virtual School Head Teacher became become a statutory role in 2014. The three key areas of responsibility of a virtual school head for which s/he should be accountable are: To make sure that there is a system to track and monitor the attainment and progress of looked after children To ensure that all looked after children have a robust and effective personal education plan and access one-to-one support, including personal tuition where appropriate To champion the educational needs of looked after children across the authority and those placed out-of-authority 6 The Role of the Virtual School Head

7. Subtitle 7 Virtual School Corporate Parenting Board Head of Children in Care Service Head of Education Standards Service Virtual School Head Children in Care Learning Mentor PEP Coordinator Designated Teachers Social Workers Educational Psychologist Education Welfare Officer Pre-16 Connexions PA Wellbeing Worker Post-16 Connexions PA Me2 Education Officer EYFS Lead for CIC National Teaching & Advisory Service Welfare Call Speech & Language Therapist Foster Carers

8. Subtitle Must be initiated within 10 days of a child being taken into care or moving placement Must be reviewed on a termly basis Must be a “living and useful document” Must have clear accountability in terms of who within school is responsible for making actions happen Must be transferred without delay to new educational placements when moves occur Actions from PEPs should be checked for progress between meetings 8 Personal Education Plans

9. Subtitle £1900 per pupil per year from April 2014 Children are eligible from the first day of being in care For the first time, children adopted from care and those who leave care under a special guardianship order or residence order will also attract the pupil premium plus. Resources required to improve educational outcomes should be agreed at a PEP meeting and can be requested through the Virtual School Resource Panel 9 Pupil Premium Plus

10. Subtitle Appropriate use of Pupil Premium 1 : 1 Tuition in School Small Group Tuition MentoringTutoring at home Training Laptops, devices & equipment Trips Out of school activities Behaviour Management Additional support Every use MUST demonstrate benefit to the child’s educational outcomes

11. Subtitle Multiagency decision in consultation with the Virtual School Head Free Schools/Academies/High Schools Ofsted Ratings – all on www.ofsted.gov.uk. Looking for good and outstanding schoolswww.ofsted.gov.uk Look at the attainment data – how do their results compare to the national average See the school, ask the difficult questions about how they would support this child What is going to be in the best interests of the child? 11 Choosing a school

12. Subtitle School Admissions Code: Highest priority in admissions must be given to looked after children and previously looked after children Looked after children are excepted pupils outside of the normal admissions round under the School Admissions (Infant Class Sizes) (England) Regulations 2012. Where arrangements for pupils are wholly based on selection by reference to ability and provide for only those pupils who score highest in any selection test to be admitted, no priority needs to be given to looked after children or previously looked after children. Faith schools have to give priority to looked after children who share the faith of the school and must prioritise looked after children who do not share that faith over other children who do not follow that faith 12 Admissions Nursery admissions31 st March 2015 Reception admissions15 th January 2015 Secondary admissions31 st October 2014

13. Subtitle Looked After Children are twice as likely to be permanently excluded and three times as likely to have a fixed term exclusion Statutory guidance on school exclusion states that “Head teachers should, as far as possible, avoid excluding permanently any pupil with a statement of SEN or a looked after child.” 13 Exclusions

14. Subtitle Is attendance an issue with children in your care? (Persistent absence will be anything less than 90% from next year!) Links between attendance and attainment Welfare call Term time holidays not allowed and take care with medical appointments, meetings etc. 14 Attendance

15. Subtitle 90% attendance But… How much have you missed? 4 weeks in one year Half a school year over 5 years

16. Subtitle Show interest in homework and school and learning Get involved, but don’t take over Communicate – 2 way process Prioritise homework completion Get into a routine A quiet space Look for homework feedback Help develop independent learners Be clear on what the school expect – look on website Homework – Tips for success

17. Subtitle PrimaryYears 1 & 21 hour per week Years 3 & 41 ½ hours per week Years 5 & 630 mins per day SecondaryYears 7 & 845 to 90 mins per day Year 91 to 2 hours per day Years 10 & 111 ½ to 2 ½ hours per day Homework – How much is enough?

18. Subtitle How to Help at Each Key Stage KS1/2 Reading – Fiction, non fiction, maths activity book Extra curricular Good habits Playing games Learning at home KS3 Homework routine Keeping up to date Keep them reading Reports – read carefully, praise (note weaknesses) and compare KS4 Volunteer Course reading – together Exams – ease pressure, revision planning, past papers, keep healthy Plan for transition to Post 16 (bursary £1200)

19. Subtitle Tracking progress End of Year 2 (Age 7) End of Year 3 (Age 8) End of Year 4 (Age 9) End of Year 5 (Age 10) End of Year 6 (Age 11) Level 6 Exceptional (Top 1% achieve) Exceptional (Top 1% achieve) Level 5A Exceptional Beyond expectations Top 10% 5b or above Top 15% 5c or above Level 5B Exceptional Beyond expectations Level 5C Level 4A Exceptional Beyond expectations At level expected Top 80% 4c or above Level 4B Beyond expectations Level 4C At level expected Top 80% 3b or above Level 3A Beyond expectations At level expected Below expectations Approx 20% achieve Level 3B At level expected Below expectations Approx 20% achieve Level 3C Level 2A At level expected Below expectations Level 2B Level 2C Below expectations Level 1 Below expectations

20. Subtitle Preparation  Spend time with the child before the evening discussing strengths, weaknesses and any problems at school  Make a list of questions  Be prepared to listen to the good and also any criticism How to make the most of the time  Ask questions  Take away positive steps to help the child succeed  Ask for another appointment to discuss more complex problems further  Be assertive and escalate if not satisfied Parents’ evening

21. Subtitle Children and Families Act 2014 Assess, plan, do, review Request for Education, Health and Care assessment Education Health and Care Plan Local offer 21 Special Educational Needs

22. Subtitle Opportunities within the Virtual School Eureka! London Study Skills sessions Peer Mentoring residential Music

23. Subtitle Useful websites http://media.education.gov.uk/assets/files/pdf/b/fostering%20education%20aide% 20memoir%20poster.pdf20memoir%20poster.pdf -links to most things you will ever need as a Foster Carer www.familylives.org.ukwww.familylives.org.uk – support for parents/carers www.youngminds.org.ukwww.youngminds.org.uk – children’s mental health information for parents/carers www.keystageplus.co.ukwww.keystageplus.co.uk – primary advice/information www.yourhomework.co.uk www.dadtalk.co.uk www.muddlepuddle.co.ukwww.muddlepuddle.co.uk – learning resources www.primaryresources.co.uk www.bbc.co.uk/learning www.nc.uk.netwww.nc.uk.net – national curriculum information www.mymaths.co.uk www.gotateenager.org.uk www.careersadvice.direct.gov.uk